A Second Chance
by Lily Hanson
Summary: Follows Double And Troubles - Mike's got one week to prove he is deserving of a life on Earth. It's do or die - literally.
1. Needing You

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers: (Super) Samurai. This is purely fan-made.

The room was silent. Mia gently rocked Emily back and forth, trying to hold her own tears back. Her eyes fell on Kevin as he paced the room. She couldn't imagine how she would feel if she lost him. She had no idea what Emily was going through, and no idea how to help.

In their most recent… misadventure, Octoroo had fooled all the Samurai. After they thought they had destroyed all his Nighlok, they had gone to Serena and Emily's farm for a home away from home while the Shiba House was being rebuilt. Little did they know, one of the Nighlok had survived, and had taken Kevin's place in the team. Nighlok Kevin had slowly stirred the pot with the Samurai, hurting Mia first, setting Emily up for a trap, and leaving Mike tied up the closet.

With Serena's help, Mia had put enough distance between herself and Kevin to stay safe. She had suffered quite a bit, and was still telling her brain that Nighlok Kevin and her Kevin were two very different people. In fact, one was a monster.

Emily had slipped away from Kevin, and ran away from him before he had a chance to finish her off.

Mike had suffered the least, but at the same time, he had suffered the most. While Nighlok Kevin worked on his plan to flush Emily away from the team, he knew he needed to get Mike out of the picture. Without ever taking the green Ranger out of the house, Nighlok Kevin had kidnapped him, tied him up, and left him hidden in the closet in Serena's bedroom, where no one had found him until it was too late. Because of the way he had been tied, the gag, the cloth in his mouth, and his severe claustrophobia, Mike had suffocated, and was dead long before Emily found him.

Nighlok Kevin was long dead now, but this time, defeating the Nighlok didn't restore the Samurai's lives to normal. Mike was dead. He was still dead. Emily was struggling to deal with that.

Mia took a deep breath and then looked down at the yellow Ranger. Emily was sleeping, though it wasn't a peaceful sleep. Still, it was enough to take her out for a couple of hours. Mia gently tucked her into bed and looked to Kevin with nothing but worry in her eyes.

"She wasn't talking to us."

"I figured that out," Kevin nodded. "She really misses him."

"Too much," Mia sighed.

"Do you think she sees him?" Kevin asked and then Mia gave him a strange looked, "I mean, I know he's not there… but in her mind, do you think…"

"She's not letting go," Mia said. "You're right, he's not there, there's no way he can be, she might not get that yet."

"Why don't you go downstairs?" Kevin offered, "I'll stay up here. I'll keep an eye on Emily."

"I won't be doing anything," Mia shook her head; "I can stay up here with you. I know it's you, I know you wouldn't hurt her… but after what the Nighlok did… it's probably best if I stay."

Kevin took a deep breath and then nodded his head. He never would hurt the Rangers, but he couldn't blame them, Mia and Emily especially, for looking at him a little differently. They had been hurt, and it would take a long time to recover.

In the other room, Mike had just gotten the news from his bear Zord. If he could prove he was worthy, he would be given a second chance to live. While trapped, he had gotten his hands on his Samuraizer, and had created part of a symbol that would have kept him alive for a few more hours, long enough for someone to find him. He only got halfway through, but that was still enough to give him a chance.

He just had no idea his chances were slim. He needed to do something; he just had no idea what.

He walked through the wall, smirking a little at this newfound power. He made his way into his and Emily's bedroom and he saw her sleeping, with Mia and Kevin watching worriedly.

"I should have…" Kevin started but Mia interrupted him.

"You did what you could."

Mike looked to them and then walked to the bed. He lay down beside Emily and wrapped her up in his arms. No one could see him but her. No one could feel him but her. It was a very bittersweet arrangement the bear Zord had given him, but it gave Mike a clue – maybe the key to getting life back was Emily. She didn't deserve this pain. He thought maybe, if he could show the bear Zord how much she needed him, he would get his second life.

She shifted in his arms, slowly waking up from what he guessed had been a nightmare judging by the tears that broke out and flowed down her cheeks – or she could have just been waking up from a dream – a dream where everything was okay.

She rolled over, and he saw her looking at him. First there was a smile, and she seemed to grow excited, but it was quickly wiped off her face as she saw the faint glow surrounding him and felt his embrace was cold and empty. She shoved him off the bed, not afraid to hurt him because he was dead.

"Leave me alone!" she screamed at him.

Kevin and Mia jumped out of their skins and rushed over to try and comfort the yellow Ranger. Emily looked right through them and shot daggers at Mike.

"Go away! If you're dead, then just die!"

"Em, I just talked to the bear Zord," Mike got up to his feet and held his hands out defensively. Fortunately, Mia and Kevin held her in their arms, unknowingly protecting him from her, "He'll give me a second chance…"

"No," Emily shook her head. Mike knelt by the bed and showed her the hourglass that had once been his Samuraizer.

"I have a week, a week to prove I'm worthy of a second life. You and I have a week, hopefully more, to be together."

Emily growled and snatched the hourglass from his hand. She tipped it upside down, trying to make the sand fall back and speed up his time. If he was dead, she wanted him dead. If he could live, she wanted him alive. She didn't like these games and conditions.

The sand continued to fall, but defied gravity and fell up. Mike's time was still about a week. Frustrated, Emily tossed the hourglass into the wall. It didn't break.

"Are you trying to get me killed?" Mike asked as he picked up the hourglass and checked it for cracks.

"You're already dead!" Emily screamed.

"No," Mike shook his head, "I'm in… I'm in limbo…"

"I'm in hell!" Emily pulled away from Kevin and Mia, who were horrified by her outburst. They couldn't explain her words or her actions. They just sat and watched as Emily riled herself up, unable to do anything but try and get a word in.

Emily couldn't even hear them. It was like Mike was the Samurai actually present and they were the ghosts.

"Emily, stop this," Mia begged as Emily pulled away, "Emy…"

"Emily, please," Mike ran after her and grabbed her arm, "Look, I'll try to make this work for you. I think you're the key. You're the only one who can see me."

"NO!"

"Em," he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight. Emily tried to push away – this was not a good hug, it was a reminder he was dead. Mike continued to hold her, "Please, I have a second chance. You can help me. We have one week."

"I don't want to wait a week," Emily finally gave up and sobbed into his shoulder, "I want you."

"We'll make the most of it," he promised, "I'll try to figure out what I can do to live again. We'll work on that, and if we get our way, we'll have a week that lasts a lifetime."

"And if you can't get a second chance?" Emily shook her head, "It's a week to say goodbye. You're prolonging…"

"No," Mike wouldn't do it. He wouldn't let her suffer, "You let me do all the hard work, okay? For now, just think of me as yours. I'm all yours. If we have to, we'll say goodbye in seven days."

"In seven days?"

"Don't say goodbye to me before seven days."

"Don't say goodbye to me," Emily hugged him tight. Mike nodded his head and kissed her cheek. He held her tight, feeling her warmth. This was going to be her best week ever; he had to make sure of it. He was certain that was the key – she was the key.

She was always the key.

As he held her softly, hoping his arms were offering her some comfort, he looked over his shoulder at Mia and Kevin. He wished he could help them, but the bear Zord, or whoever was doing this to him, had only made him present to Emily. No one else could see him or hear him.

But they were terrified of him. Or rather, they were terrified of what he was doing to Emily. She wasn't crazy. She could see him, she was talking to him, screaming at him, and holding him, but the others had no idea. They thought she was losing it. They thought they were losing her.

Mike couldn't take her away from them. They needed her – and if, by chance, he couldn't get his second life, she would need them.

He moved away from her and lifted her chin, "You're not talking to them?"

Emily shook her head, "What can they do?"

"You need them, Emily. You're scaring them…"

"They can't bring you back!"

"They're your family. You need to lean on them."

"No."

"Please don't do this, Em. Don't do this to yourself, and don't put them through this. They want to help…"

"They can't help! No one can help."

"Please, Em," Mike pulled away from her and stepped out of her way, leaving her with a path to Mia and Kevin, "Go to them. Just… just in case I don't make it… I'm not letting you live alone. You'll still have your family. Don't push them away. Don't shun them."

"They can't…"

"They can help," Mike nodded, "I promise you, this will be the best week of your life. Part of that, is enjoying life with them."

Mike gestured to the window and smiled, "You're at home, Emily. You're on your farm, with your sister, your nephew. They aren't dead. They aren't going anywhere," he gently pulled her arm forward, hoping she would take the hint and go to Mia and Kevin, "Please, Emily."

Emily's chin quivered as she looked at Mike, but then she turned her head, just to glance over to Mia and Kevin for a second. She saw the horror on their faces. The panic in their eyes. They were scared for her. Terrified even. They wanted to help, she could see they did, but she wouldn't let them.

She ran and threw herself back into Mia's arms, hugging her pink sister tightly. Mia held her close and kissed the top of her head.

"What's going on, Emily? What do you need? Please, say something. Talk to _us_."

"I need a hug," Emily whispered. Mia was startled. It had been days since Emily had spoken to anyone but the thoughts in her head and Mike's urn. But as Emily's voice hit Mia's ears, with a request for a hug, Mia was more than happy to oblige. She held her little sister close.

Kevin wrapped his arms around both, and kissed the side of Emily's head.

"Whatever you need," he told her, "We'll get it for you. Just let us help, Em."

"I need Mike," Emily whispered. Kevin and Mia nodded and let her know they understood she was hurting and that they wanted him back too. As they sat down with her, Mike felt a pain in his chest.

He was wrong. Hearing it in his own head, the thought that maybe proving Emily still needed him sounded genius. Hearing the words leave her mouth – it sounded selfish. He didn't want her to need him. He didn't want her to have to depend on him to be happy.

Something else. It needed to be something else. He had to wonder what the bear Zord wanted him to do, and why only Emily could see him. It seemed cruel, it seemed really cruel.

As Mike walked out of the room, hoping Emily would take his absence as a chance to reconnect with the Samurai, he didn't see Kevin pull away from the three man hug to rub his chest.

"Are you okay?" Mia asked. He nodded his head.

"Probably just the bandages itching again," he assured her. "I'm fine."


	2. Ten Spaces

The following morning, Mike woke up with something snuggled into his chest. He smiled and looked down, seeing Emily had fallen asleep in his arms. In spite of her initial frustrations, she was starting to come around. She didn't like how his death had been pushed back a week, but he had convinced her he would earn his second chance and he would live again. Now it was just a matter of not letting her down.

But there was a thought in the back of his mind that worried him deeply. He had no idea what he was doing, and time was slipping away from him. He only had a week to prove himself. A week wasn't a long time. If he couldn't succeed, he didn't want Emily to die with him – because he knew she would. Not physically, but emotionally. She would pull away from her friends and family, and even if they tried to reel her back in and help her recover, if she didn't want the help, and if she slipped too far away, it was all over.

He needed to come back. If he couldn't, he needed her to be okay without him. He needed to make sure she knew she could lean on her friends and family, and that he was okay, and she was allowed to be okay too. He needed her to know she could be happy.

"They don't have me working anymore," Emily whispered and Mike looked down, seeing she was awake, "We could sneak off for the day and try and figure out what you're supposed to do."

"You should spend time with them…"

"They'll still be here in a week," Emily shook her head, "We can take a horse and ride up to one of the lakes. We'll have our own private…"

"Won't the others know you're missing?"

"I don't care."

"Em, you can't do this," he sighed. "Please, I don't want you to change…"

"So I'm just supposed to… not do anything after you die? I'm supposed to waste my time with people I'll see every day after this week is over, instead of spending your last few days with you? Please, Mike, I want to help you."

"Promise we'll be home so you can sit down to dinner with the others," Mike decided a compromise was best. He couldn't push her away, but he didn't want to pull her in either. If he was her entire world for the week, his death would be a lot harder for her to cope with.

"Fine," Emily huffed. Mike kissed the top of her head and then settled deeper into the bed, "Can we take advantage of this non-work day to sleep in?"

"But the sooner we start…"

"It would mean a lot to me."

Emily sighed. Cuddling for Mike was different from what it was for her. Though she enjoyed having him near, there just wasn't the warmth and love there was when he was alive. He was cold. He was rough. He was dead.

Having him near was a strong reminder that he was dead. But he could feel her. To him, this all felt normal, and he was the one dying. Nodding her head, she let him hold her.

-Samurai-

Kevin was used to getting up early. In fact, he loved it. The earlier the better.

He had been the first one out of bed and he made breakfast for the team. As they came down, he served them and they sat down together. By the time they were done, everyone had been around the table except for Emily, whom they all refused to wake up. They wanted her to move on from Mike, but imagined waking her up from a dream where she was possibly with Mike was a terrible idea. She was already slipping away from them. They didn't want to give her that final shove.

Then came the chores. By now everyone had their responsibilities and split off to take care of them. At the rate they worked, they were usually done by lunch time and they had the rest of the day to enjoy the farm. Kevin figured he was now well enough to help out. His body was still in a very bad way, but with the seal, he knew he could power through it, and boding with his team through farm work always gave the Rangers a few laughs – laughs they hoped Emily could hear from her room. Laughs they hoped would teach her it was okay to miss Mike and still be happy.

Kevin was weeding around the crops, pulling out all the bad plants so the good ones would thrive. He couldn't believe just how many fruits and vegetables would come from Serena and Emily's farm, and had no idea how their father worked every day, all day, by himself.

"Try it," Mia hand a basket full of freshly picked raspberries and was holding a handful out to Kevin. He took one and ate it. It was the best raspberry he had ever tasted.

"It's so fresh."

"It should be," Mia pointed a little ways off, where the raspberry bush was sitting in the ground, "I picked it two minutes ago.

"Mom says it's the secret to her pies," Serena smiled. Everyone had their jobs, and hers was overseeing everything. She knew the ins and outs of the farm, and her father's little tricks. She knew the dos and don'ts, and after working so many years to help her father, she knew a few cheats to get the same jobs done right, but faster, "She always uses freshly picked apples, and you can taste the difference. It's why my pies at the Shiba House are never as good."

Kevin nodded. He wasn't sure that was the only secret, but he was sure Serena wasn't wrong. The fresh fruit tasted better than anything he had ever gotten from the store. It had to make a difference.

Suddenly, he felt a pain in his chest, like something stabbing him between the lungs. He was already on his knees from his work, so he folded over, holding his chest painfully.

Mia dropped the basket of raspberries and fell beside him, "Kevin…"

"I'm… fine…" he caught his breath as the pain started to fade, "It's probably just my body reminding me I should be dead."

"Are you sure?" Serena asked and the pointed to the big tree by the pasture, "We're almost done for the day. You were a big help. Why don't you go rest up there?"

"I'm fine," Kevin assured her. Serena nor Mia would take no for an answer. They helped him up to his feet and walked him to the tree. He argued he was feeling better, and could help finish up, but the girls insisted he had done more than enough. Serena went back to help the others with their chores, while Mia stayed with Kevin.

Storm raced outside the house. She loved the farm. The wide open space, all the other animals, and the freedom were all amazing to her, and it was obvious by the bounce in her step. Since coming to the farm, she had been a very, very happy dog. There had only been a few moments of sadness, where the Samurai had heard her cry.

This was one of them. Whining, Storm approached Kevin and Mia and climbed onto Kevin's lap, and then nuzzled his chest, right where the seal was. Kevin wrapped her in his arms and hugged her back.

"I'm okay," he kissed the top of her head. He assumed she was this way because of what had happened with Mike. Storm knew just as well as the Samurai that Mike was dead, and judging by her behaviour, it was obvious she missed him. Knowing Kevin was hurt, the Samurai thought she was worried she would lose another friend too.

Storm nestled into Kevin's arms and stayed with him for the rest of the afternoon, even when he got up to go to the bathroom, she would follow him, sit by the door, and wait for him to finish.

-Samurai-

"Mike, we're losing the whole day," Emily's shaking pulled him from his sleep, "C'mon, wake up. We need to figure this out. There's only six days left."

Mike groaned and rubbed his eyes. He checked the time and saw it was already after lunch. With a sigh, he pulled himself out of bed.

"I guess I'll sleep when I'm dead," he muttered and was smacked in the back of the head with a pillow, "Ow!"

"Don't even joke," Emily was getting changed. Mike looked down at his clothes. They were his only set. When he died, he didn't get the chance to pack a suitcase of things to bring with him to limbo.

When Emily was changed she started for the window. Mike gestured to the door.

"Uh, Em…"

"They'll see me leaving," Emily said. "Serena used to sneak out this way all the time. Don't tell her I know that, though."

"Hopefully that's a promise I'll choose to keep," Mike nodded and followed Emily to the window. She opened it and slowly started to slip out. They were on the second story so Mike bit his lip nervously. Emily could get hurt if she slipped and fell. Fortunately, she managed to climb down the side of the house without any problems. She waved for Mike to follow.

He looked down and smirked. This was something he always wanted to do. He jumped from the second story window and tried to land on his feet.

It hurt!

"Mike!" Emily cried and dropped beside him. Mike pushed himself up from the ground and laughed.

"Relax, Em. You can't kill a dead man."

"I can try," Emily shoved him and rolled her eyes, "Don't do stuff like that."

"It's not like I can get hurt."

"Exactly," Emily nodded. She dusted him off and then pointed across the field, "We want to go this way. Don't let anyone see you."

"Only you can see me, Em."

Emily gently pushed him again. She hated those reminders that he was dead. She walked off, looking around carefully for her friends. They were all playing with the animals, or lounging in the shade. She was going to have to get to the lake by foot. She snuck around until she was far enough away from the house, and then started to jog, occasionally checking over her shoulder to see if Mike was still following her.

Mike never let her get too far ahead. Seeing her checking up on him, with nothing that would count as a smile, he decided to have a little fun. He was sure she was the key for him getting his second life, but he wasn't sure how. He figured her healthy, safe, and happy couldn't hurt. Speeding up, he wrapped his arms around her waist and then lifted her over his shoulder. Emily screamed as her feet left the ground and held onto Mike, giggling more and more as they approached the lake.

Then, he dropped her. Right in the water. There was a big splash, water surrounded her, and for a moment she felt herself floating. She came back up to the surface, spit the water out of her mouth and looked over to Mike. He was laughing.

"You're mean," she chuckled and splashed him with water. Mike closed his eyes and focused. The water went right through him. Emily seemed horrified for a minute, and then frowned, "That's cheating."

"It's not cheating. I have an advantage," he slapped his hand down on the water, splashing her. Emily giggled and tried to run away, but with the water already up to her thighs she couldn't get very far very fast. Mike caught up to her quickly and tackled her gently. They both fell under the water for a minute and then he pulled her up.

"Stop it," she laughed and turned around in his arms, "We have to figure out how to bring you back."

"You're the key," he told her. "You've got to be. You're the only one who can see me. You're the only one who knows I'm still here."

"Are you sure I'm not just delusional? That's what the others think. They think I'm going crazy."

"I'm sure you're not," Mike gave her forehead a kiss and then scooped her up in his arms, "and you can be sure you're not. Can your hallucinations lift you up and throw you back into the water?"

Mike wrapped her arms around Mike's neck, "Don't!" he giggled was his okay and he threw her as far as he could. Emily never let go of his neck. When he threw her, she pulled him with her.

Emily surfaced first and when she saw Mike coming out of the water she jumped on top of him, trying to hold him down playfully. Mike was stronger and lifted her up and threw her back into the water again.

Emily surfaced and lunged for him. He closed his eyes and she jumped right through him, landing in the water.

-Samurai-

Serena paced back and forth with the phone pressed against her ear and held tightly in her hands. Her stomach was flipping around like crazy, her hands were shaky, her mind was a mess.

She and the Samurai had come inside after a day of work and play to cool off, and to get dinner started. Ji had promised to cook that night, so Serena went upstairs to see how her sister was doing. She had a day to herself, and Serena had a little hope that it would help her bounce back.

Instead, she and the Samurai walked into an empty house, and after searching every corner, and every closet, Emily was nowhere to be found. The only clue left behind was an open window. Serena was terrified her sister had run away. In her state of mind, it was stupid, dangerous, reckless, selfish…

Serena wanted her back. Emily was in no condition to be outside by herself. She shouldn't have even been left alone inside. Serena was beating herself up for that.

"If you see her," she said to the person on the other end of the phone. She was calling all the neighbours, everyone in town, and even the sheriff, "please let me know. And don't take your eyes off her. She's not… well."

"Why don't this town have traffic cameras?" Antonio was on his computer, trying to see if he could use the internet to find her. Unfortunately it was slow and useless, as he was quickly finding out.

"Because we don't have traffic," Serena hung up the phone and took a deep breathe. It was time to call the tack shop, where Brian's father worked. Serena hoped, prayed, Brian was nowhere near Emily, "The most traffic we get is when a herd of cows decides they want to cross the street."

"Security cameras?" Antonio tried.

"Gossiping women," Serena said, "Everyone knows everybody's business anyways. If there's something strange going on, half the town knows about it. It's scary. Hello? Mr. Richards? It's Serena…"

"Then how does no one in town know where Emily is?" Antonio asked and slammed his laptop shut and turned to the rest of the search team. Everyone else was checking for Emily's Samuraizer signal, as well as checking the house for her Samuraizer, except for Ji who was cooking, but would occasionally come to the living room to see if there was anything he could do. Emily's signal was coming from the farm, which either meant she was somewhere in the house or out on the land, or she had left it behind when she ran off. The latter was more likely, as everyone had already searched everywhere for her, with no luck. "Guys…"

"Her signal hasn't moved once since we started," Jayden sighed, "Wherever her Samuraizer is, it's not on the move."

"Emily might be," Mia didn't want to say it, but she knew it was the truth. She tried calling Emily's Samuraizer again, but she didn't get an answer, nor did anyone hear it ring. There were two reasons for that. Either it was turned off, or Emily was ignoring her. Neither were a good sign.

Just then, they all heard the door opening. With everyone inside, that could only mean someone else was coming in. Serena, who was midway through her call with Mr. Richards, begging for him to check up on his son to make sure Brian was where he said he was, dropped the phone. Everyone ran to the door to see who was walking in.

"Emily!" Serena wrapped her arms tightly around her sister, holding back the tears of relief "Thank goodness you're okay."

"Where the hell did you go?" James was relieved, but a little less happy with the mess. Emily had scared everyone. He knew she was having a hard time and needed some space, but not at everyone's else's mental expense, "We've been worried sick! Why are you wet?"

Serena pulled away and realized, to her horror, that her little sister was soaking wet, "Emy…"

Emily shook her head and tried to run away upstairs. James grabbed her arm and pulled her down the stairs before she got too far, "I asked you a question, Emily. You scared us all. Where were you? What were you trying to do?"

"Answer him, Emily," Mike whispered into her ear, "Talk with them. You promised you would sit with them for dinner, remember?"

Emily shook her head. She didn't want to talk to them; they wouldn't believe her, and she didn't want to sit with them, like she had promised. She wanted to spend the evening with Mike. He had less than six days left. Mike crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm not letting you slip away from them, and I won't have you worrying them. Tell them you went to the lake to think."

Emily shook her head and tried to run upstairs again, but James was still holding onto her arm and Mike grabbed her by the waist. Both of their strengths combined kept her right where she was.

"Dinner smells great, Em, I'm sure you'll enjoy it," Mike told her and kissed her cheek, "I'm going to go now, but I'll be back for bed, I promise. Sit with the others. They just want to help."

He let her go and walked through the wall. Emily watched his go, but then James gently grabbed her jaw and forced her to look at him, "Emily, where were you?"

"I went to the lake with Mike," Emily answered, "He threw me over his shoulder and carried me there. He dumped me in the lake and then we had a water fight. We played, we talked, and we had so much fun we lost track of time. Now I want to go to bed."

"Emy," Serena sat down on the steps beside Emily and pulled her into her arms, "Mike's dead…"

"No he's not…"

"It's hard, I know…"

"He is still alive," Ji announced as he came into the room. Emily looked to him hopefully. Was it possible Ji knew? "Mike is still very much alive for all of us, and he forever will be. I will set a place for him at the table."

"He doesn't want to eat with us," Emily whispered. She pointed to the wall, "He walked away."

"There is a place for him if he changes his mind," Ji insisted. "Come to dinner."

Emily looked upstairs. Mike promised to be back for bed but she doubted he could come back if she skipped out on dinner and went straight to her room. She took a deep breath and then got up and walked to the kitchen.

Serena grabbed Ji roughly by the arm, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Getting her to eat with us for dinner."

"Ji, Mike's dead," Serena growled, "I don't want you feeding into her delusions."

"I got her to sit down at the table. She is home, safe and sound, and she is eating with us."

"Yeah, but…"

"You cannot help her if she does not want your help," Ji shook his head, "She obviously is not ready to accept the fact that Mike is gone."

"So telling her he's not is going to make it better?"

"It will happen when she is ready," Ji said, "Forcing her will only frustrate and anger her. You will lose her."

"You better know what you're doing, old man," Serena shoved Ji as she walked by and saw her sister sitting at the table, waiting for the others to join so she could start eating.

There were ten places at the table.


	3. Ready, Set, Lose

Mike woke up gasping for breath, unaware the dead _needed_ to breath. Hell, he had no idea the dead could still have nightmares. In his nightmare, he had been back in the closet, suffocating and waiting for help. Help that never came. When he woke up, he was sad to know that it was a reality. He had suffered. He was dead.

Fortunate enough to have not wakened Emily Mike carefully slipped out of bed and tucked her in. He walked to the bathroom to splash some water on his face, hoping it would clear his thoughts. Suddenly, he heard the door open.

"Who left the water running?" Kevin stuck his hand right through Mike's body and shut off the tap. Then he went to sit on the toilet. Mike was disgusted for a moment and went to sneak out, but then saw Kevin was taking his shirt off, not his pants. With his chest exposed, Mike could see the bandaging.

He knew about the seal. He had overheard the others talking after her died, and Emily had explained it to him when they had been by the lake. Octoroo had put that seal on his chest to keep him from dying while he was a prisoner in the Netherworld, and Kevin kept it on now because he knew that if he took it off, he would die instantly. His body had taken too much of a beating to survive.

Kevin unwrapped the bandages and Mike thought he was going to throw up. He expected the sight to be disgusting, but it was gruesome. Kevin's skin was red, oozing, peeling or, more specifically, falling right off. Mike was sure he could see muscle and veins and ribs and… inside. He could see Kevin's insides.

He sat through countless gruesome, gory, horror films and enjoyed every minute of it. Real life was different. When it was his friend, it was terrifying.

"Dude… you should see a doctor," Mike knew Kevin needed more than just a doctor. Kevin looked down at his chest and groaned, trying to hide the pain. Mike tilted his head and furrowed his brow, "Dude, you're alone. You're allowed to cry and be hurt. Or are you so disciplined and strong you're not even allowed to see yourself weak?"

Kevin got up and walked to the tub. He stripped down after starting the water, and Mike turned away.

But he couldn't leave. Knowing Kevin was this hurt, he couldn't leave him alone. When Kevin was in the tub, Mike peeked slightly, keeping his eyes on Kevin's chest. The blue Ranger was splashing water up onto his wound to clean it out.

"You're going to need more than water to disinfect that," Mike said and bit his lip as he tried to think of a symbol that could help. None came to mind. Like him, Kevin was technically dead. There were no symbols that could bring back the dead.

Suddenly, there was a pounding on the door. Kevin stiffened up and Mike jumped.

"BUSY!" Kevin called and started to drain the water from the tub, "Just a minute! I'm almost done."

Kevin had to get dried off and ready for the day, but Mike could just walk out, without even opening the door. He did and then was knocked right back into it as Emily jumped into his arms.

"BUSY!" Kevin cried again, thinking it was another knock on the door.

Mike gave Emily a hug and then looked down at her. She was teary eyed, "Em…"

"I thought you left. I woke up and you were gone."

Mike shook his head, "I had a nightmare. I was just clearing my head."

Emily gave a little nod and then looked over his shoulder, "Why are you in the bathroom with Kevin?"

"I was in there first," Mike cried as he turned around and glared at the door, "but he walked in on me."

"I hear water draining," Emily frowned, "Who was taking the bath? Please tell me it was you. It would be less creepy if it was you."

"Nothing's creepier than what just happened in there," Mike shook his head and took her hand. He thought about sharing Kevin's plight with her, but while he knew Emily wasn't losing her mind, like the others thought, he knew she was still fragile and she was having a hard time with his death. Letting her know Kevin wasn't well either could really cause her to go crazy. He would tell her later, when she was a little more ready for it.

He walked her downstairs and gestured to the kitchen, "It would be nice if you made breakfast for everyone. And if you ate with them."

"You're invited to eat with us," Emily smiled, "You were invited last night too."

"I was?"

"Can Mentor see you?"

"He would have said something if he could," Mike shook his head. "Why?"

"We set a spot for you. You didn't come. I didn't think you would. But you're here now…"

"Set nine places, Emily. And make Serena's favourite. It'll calm her down a little if she sees you're reaching out to her again."

"But I want you to sit at the table too. I won't talk to you. I'll pretend like you're not there so the others think I'm not…"

"Then what's the point of an extra space?" Mike asked. "I'll be in the kitchen, but you're sitting at the table without me."

"Fine," Emily huffed. She pulled the bacon and eggs out of the fridge, "Can you at least help me with this? Bacon always splashes me. Seeing as you're dead anyways, getting burned shouldn't be a problem."

"Ha-ha," Mike rolled his eyes and pulled out a pan while Emily started to set the table, "I thought we weren't allowed to make dead jokes."

"Later do you want to walk around the farm? Today we really should talk about ways to bring you back. I thought a lot about it last night."

"Sure, Em," Mike nodded.

They worked on breakfast, and had it all set on the table just in time as the others came down to eat. They smelt the warm food and were shocked to see Emily had been the one to make it.

"This is awesome," Antonio rushed to the table to dig in, with Jayden chuckling behind him. Mia walked to the table, holding Kevin's hand. Mike noticed she seemed fine. He was sure Kevin hadn't told her about the big, gaping hole in his body.

Ji sat at the table, and helped James get Terran into the high chair. Emily had even made a special breakfast for him.

Serena walked to her sister and hugged her, "You made breakfast?"

"I was up first," she nodded.

"You made my favourite?"

"You are my favourite sister," Emily smiled, "Bacon and eggs, with a side of toast and butter, made just the way you like it."

Serena looked at the table. With everyone sitting down there were only two spaces left to fill.

"Nine?"

"Mike's not eating with us," Emily sighed.

"Emily… sorry about last night," Serena gave her a loving squeeze, "It's hard for you. I understand that. You're going through a lot and it's okay to be a little…"

"Delusional?"

Serena had a look of guilt on her face, "You heard me?"

"You're all thinking it. I know you are. You're not hiding it very well."

"You're not either. I want Mike back too. I know I've threatened to kill him and stuff before, but you know…"

"You miss him."

"Terribly," Serena nodded, "He's not coming back, sis."

"But what if…"

"The dead don't come back," Serena shook her head and then touched her chest, "but he's not gone. You're right about that. He's never going to leave us."

"I'll make sure that's true," Emily smiled. Serena ruffled her hair.

"I'm sure you'll never let us forget him," she said. "Look, Emy, I don't expect and instant fix for you. You're still allowed to miss him and you need to grieve at your own pace, but please don't kick me out. I just want to help."

Emily nodded her head and hugged her sister, "I won't."

Mike smiled as he watched the exchange and he breathed a huge sigh of relief as Emily and Serena went to the table to eat with the others. He walked up behind Emily and touched her shoulder.

"Spend the day with them."

"Excuse me," Emily got up from the table and walked to the bathroom. Mike followed her. When they were in the bathroom she glared at him, "We're going for a walk around the farm…"

"You have your theories, I'll take today to come up with some of my own. We'll talk about them tomorrow. We'll still have four days."

"But…"

"Em, you need this," he pointed to the door and Emily knew he meant the Samurai. Then he smirked, "Besides, you distract me. In a good way."

"I want to spend time with you. There's only five…"

"We'll have forever together, I promise," he kissed her forehead, "If I thought this wouldn't help, I wouldn't do it. I'll check up on you. I won't be gone completely…"

"Sit with us at dinner."

"Don't set a place for me," Mike told her. "You'll sit on my lap. We'll cuddle tonight."

"Promise this will help?"

"You're the key, I know you are," Mike nodded. "If you're okay, I'm sure I will be. Have fun with the others."

"Promise?"

"On my life, everything will be fine."

Emily took a deep breath and nodded her head. She gave Mike a kiss and then went to join the others for breakfast. Mike watched her go and then raced upstairs to his room, where the bear Zord was still resting.

I have to make sure she'll be okay, is that it? I have to help her cope with my death?"

The bear Zord rolled over, "If she needed to learn to cope with your death, I wouldn't have brought you back."

"I'm not back."

"You know what I mean," the bear Zord got up, "But… I'm not supposed to tell you this…"

"Spill, Paddington."

"Let her spend the day with the other Samurai. You are taking steps in the right direction by pushing her back towards the Samurai."

"Why can't you just tell me what I need to do?"

"Because, that would be stupid."

"Stupid is keeping me around, letting her live one more week with me, unsure of whether or not she'll ever see me again. You can't do this to her," Mike threw his hands up in the air, "There, I'm being selfless. I don't care what happens to me…"

"Obviously you do. You're begging for me to let you go back…"

"For her sake."

"For yours," the bear Zord jumped down from the end table and walked to the stairs. He gestured for Mike to look down. They could see the others eating breakfast and having a good time, Emily especially was opening up and laughing with her friends, "Your fiancée will be fine with or without you. I know that."

"Fine then, kill me now."

"Giving up? I don't give life to quitters."

"Then tell me what the hell I'm supposed to do!"

"There is no answer, Mike," the bear Zord shook his head, "You have to…"

"You're frustrating. I have five days to do something, but even you have no idea what?"

"You better get to work, then. Five days is plenty of time to…"

"It's not enough," Mike shook his head and stormed off, "You're impossible. This… trick is impossible. I'm being set up to lose."


	4. The Pain

Mike stared at the hourglass in his hand, trying to flip it around, hoping he could give himself more time.

It had been a day since he had figured out he was doomed to die. The bear Zord had told him that even he didn't know how Mike could get his second chance, which meant Mike's odds were slim to none, and with four days left, he wasn't sure he had time.

The day before he told Emily to spend time with the other Samurai, and he hadn't bothered worrying her over the news he had learned. He wanted to talk to her about it, to let her know it was very likely these were his last four days, despite his promises, but he had no idea how to tell her. That morning, he insisted Emily work around the farm and have a special Auntie and Me lunch with Terran, hoping that by the time she came back to him, he would know what he wanted to say. It was going to be hard.

Mike sat on the couch and tried to think. The good thing about being dead was he didn't have to do chores. He would trade, though. He would do all the chores, for everyone, until the day they went home, or longer even, if he could live again.

Kevin walked into the house and Mike saw he was headed to the bathroom. He made nothing of it at first. Kevin was a human, humans needed to relieve themselves, it was only natural. But time ticked by – Mike could see it leaving because of his hourglass. Kevin was taking a long time.

Then Emily ran into the house, and at the speed she was going, it was obvious she needed to pee really bad. She didn't even try to knock on the bathroom door, assuming that if it was occupied it would be locked. Mike saw her go in, and frowned.

"Maybe Kevin left while I wasn't looking," he shrugged his shoulders and looked back at the hourglass. He flipped it over. The sand fell up, "Stupid thing."

A scream almost made him drop the hourglass. The scream was quickly muffled, and it sounded like it belonged to Emily. He couldn't do much to help, but he would do anything. He jumped to his feet and raced to the bathroom, running right through the door to see what was wrong.

"Emily…?"

Emily was staring at the hole in Kevin's chest. Kevin looked horrified that she had found him out, and was kicking himself mentally for forgetting to lock the door. He pulled his hand away from her mouth and sighed.

"Don't tell anyone."

"You're…"

Mike wrapped his arms around Emily. He hadn't told her about that yet. Now she knew.

Kevin nodded his head. He covered up the wound in his chest and his seal with a bandage and started to wash his hand, "Emily, you can't tell anyone. My body will heal, that's just what it does, and as long as I have the seal on anyways, I can't die."

"So… the hole was bigger before?" Emily asked and Mike thought she was bringing up a good point. He had no idea what it looked like before, but Kevin strongly believed he was getting better. Anytime the others asked him how he was feeling, he would say he was feeling better.

"Well, no, but…"

"You should be dead," Emily whispered. "I saw your heart."

"I know," Kevin nodded, "I'm sorry, Emily, I…"

"You have to tell the others…"

"I'll be fine," Kevin assured her, "I'm taking care of it. If it grows any bigger I promise, pinky promise, I'll talk to everyone. But until then, not a word…"

"Why?"

"I don't want to worry everyone," Kevin shook his head, "I'm fine. I'm not dying. We're having a good time, finally."

"You should tell someone," Emily insisted.

"No. Em, please. I'm begging you, you can't tell a soul. Especially…"

"Mia should be the first to know! She should already know!"

"It's too much for her to deal with," Kevin said, "Please, Emily. Would you want to know your fiancé was dying?"

Emily stepped back, right through Mike, whose jaw had dropped. He couldn't believe Kevin had just said that. Even without knowing Mike was still around and had a chance at a second life, that was a low-blow. Mike was dead. Emily's fiancé was dead.

Tears welled up in Emily's eyes right away. Kevin could see he had hurt her, and he instantly regretted his words. He hadn't meant to hurt her, he just hadn't been thinking.

"Emily, I'm so sorry," he reached out to hug her, but Emily pulled away from him and left the bathroom. She stomped upstairs. Kevin tried to call her back, but she ignored him. He assumed she would do so. He slapped his face with his hand and sighed.

Suddenly, he was knocked right on his ass, and he had no idea why. It felt like someone had pushed him and he could still feel where hands had shoved him, but there was no one around. Kevin couldn't see Mike. He had no idea Mike was screaming at him.

"You bumbling idiot! For someone who's always yelling at me for having no filter, you sure have a big mouth! She was just looking out for you, you moron, and you have to throw that in her face like… hey! Hey, dipshit! Come back here! Look at me when I'm yelling at you!" Mike cried as Kevin picked himself up off the ground and walked off. Mike followed him for a few steps and then groaned, "Dammit, I'm invisible. He has no idea I'm yelling at him."

Mike huffed and then stormed upstairs, hoping he could comfort Emily. He walked right through the door, expecting to find her sobbing on the bed. Instead, he saw her sitting on her bed, staring at her Samuraizer.

"Em?"

Emily wiped her eyes and looked up at Mike, "Please don't be mad at Kevin."

"You know I was down there?"

"I can see and hear you," she nodded.

"You were ignoring me."

"I was distracted by the big hole in Kevin's chest."

"He is pretty heartless," Mike nodded and sat down beside her. He wrapped his arm around her, "What he said…"

"He's right," Emily whispered. "He shouldn't worry Mia. I love this time with you Mike, but it hurts knowing its only limited."

"Very limited," Mike muttered, "Em, I've been meaning to tell you…"

"Odds are slim?" Emily looked to Mike sadly and nodded her head slowly, "I guessed it. You were quiet last night and this morning. You had something on your mind, I could see it in your eyes."

"I'm trying to think of something I can do. I promise. Odds aren't good, but I'm not giving up without a fight…"

"Neither is Kevin," Emily shook her head, "Did you see the hole?"

"I saw it yesterday. I was going to tell you about that too, but I didn't want to worry you right now."

"Now is no better than tomorrow," Emily shrugged. Mike kissed the side of her head.

"I'm sorry, Em…"

"Why are you apologizing?"

"I feel like I should."

"Mike… are you going to be okay?"

Mike looked to her curiously, "What do you mean?"

"Is death really bad?"

"I'll be fine, Emily. Don't worry about me. Seriously. As long as you're happy…"

"Without you?"

"It's possible," he promised her. "I don't want you to forget me, but if I do die… please move on."

"I don't know if I'll ever move on," Emily shook her head, "But I'll be okay. I promise I will. I have my sister, I have Mia, and all the guys too. I'll keep talking to them, like you said. I won't shut them out. I won't push them away. I'll get help from them if I need it. I'll lean on them. Maybe, I'll be crazy cat lady, but with dogs."

"Emily…"

"If you want me to be happy even without you, that's what I'll do. If it makes you happy…"

"I would die for that smile," Mike leaned in and kissed her. "If I do die, and the last thing I see is your smile, I'll be happy."

"Then you promise you'll smile for me?" Emily asked, "So my last memory of you is you happy?"

"Promise."

Emily's chin started to quiver. Her eyes were watering again. Her hands were shaky. Mike wrapped his arms around her, "Em?"

"I love you. More than anything. I don't want to lose you but… I already have."

"Em…"

"No," Emily shook her head, "You're dead. It sucks and… I can't let anyone else go through this. I've never been this badly hurt before."

"Emily…"

"But I'll be okay," she promised as she looked him in the eyes, "You helped me get over the hard part. Now it's just, learning to live without you."

"Emily, I still have a chance…"

"You have a life promised to you under impossible conditions. You have no idea what you're supposed to do, time is running out, and judging by the hole in Kevin's chest, we're going to lose him too. Mia's going to lose her fiancé like I lost mine. I can't do that."

"Are you…?"

"What can you do to earn a second chance? Risk your life to save someone else's? That's not a sacrifice when you're already dead? Selflessly do something for someone else? Not a sacrifice when you've always lost everything."

"Who says I need to sacrifice something?"

"I don't see any poker chips lying around, or any kind of obstacle course or game being played. It's obvious you need to do something, but nothing's going to be impressive enough."

"I tried being selfless. Bear Zord said that wasn't good enough. He said there was no answer but…"

"Even if you get your life back… Kevin might lose his. Mia might lose him," Emily said, "I can't let her feel this way. I don't want anyone to feel this way. I feel robbed, and I can't imagine how you feel."

"Emily…"

"Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"What are you asking?" Mike assumed he knew, but he wanted to be sure. Before he agreed to anything, he wanted to be sure.

"Do you think Kevin can take your second life? He and Mia never have to feel what you and I feel? If all goes according to plan for them, they'll live together and happily for a very, very long time."

"Emily…"

"Someone is going to die. I know it. If it's not you, it's Kevin. It hurts, Mike. It hurts so bad. Please," tears were streaming down her face, "Promise me you'll be okay."

"Yes," Mike nodded his head, "I'll be fine. I'm worried about you, Emily. Are you sure… is this really what you want?"

"Mia might not get this chance if we don't do this," Emily whispered, "Tomorrow. You'll talk to whoever tomorrow and we'll make the request?"

"Bear Zord," Mike told her. "We'll talk to Bear Zord. We'll see what he says."

"We have one more day," Emily said. She leaned into Mike and let him hold her as she cried into his chest. She could feel every part of her heart dying. The pain was unbearable. Worse than anything she had ever felt before. It was the same for Mike as he held her close. He wasn't scared of dying anymore. He was scared of what would happen afterwards – what he would leave behind. But Emily promised she would be okay, that was all that matter to him. As long as she kept that promise, he would gladly die.

He pulled her in for a kiss, "I love you."

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't be," Mike shook his head, "This is the easiest thing to do…"

"No, it's not," Emily held onto him a little tighter, "This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Tell me you won't be okay. Tell me you want to live. Please, Mike…"

"You're my hero, Emily," he gave her another kiss and looked into her eyes lovingly, "I'll give you the best day, starting now."

He lay down with her in the bed and held her in his arms, "I love you. I'm so proud of you. When I get to Heaven, I'll tell everyone there you're mine."

"You're the one making the sacrifice," Emily rubbed her eyes and sighed, "I should be proud of you. I am. I'm never, ever taking your ring off. My house… or my room in Serena and James' house, probably, will be full of pictures of you. Anyone who visits will know how awesome you are."

"That's creepy."

"I don't care. And I'll tell Terran stories about you every day. You'll be his amazing Uncle Mike, and you'll be his hero, just like you're mine. He'll try to live up to you and be just as good a person as you were."

"He'll surpass me, I know it."

"And he'll have brothers and sisters who will know about you too," Emily smiled, "I won't have my own kids, but I'll make sure one of Serena's is named Michael."

"Terran's middle name is Michael. Won't that be…?"

"I don't care. Serena won't either. I'll make her do it, and she'll do it happily."

"You're going to use the ice-cream face, aren't you? The face you make that always gets you ice-cream?"

"And cookies," Emily nodded, "The face she can't resist. And I'll have a niece, and she'll know all about you, and when she starts dating, I'll make sure she finds a boyfriend and a husband just as amazing as you. Odds are, she'll end up unmarried, but she and I can be unmarried together."

Mike chuckled, "You're getting ahead of yourself, Emily. Terran's not even one. Xandred's not even defeated. I doubt you'll get more nephews and nieces anytime soon."

"Xandred will pay for this," Emily looked up at Mike, "I'll make sure his death is worse than yours. Serrator will die too, and Octoroo. Octoroo especially. He'll suffer the most, I promise."

Emily's eyes suddenly widened as she gasped, "And Scruffy! You'll see Scruffy again! I know he's waiting for you."

"I'm sure he is," Mike kissed the top of her head.

"Tell him I miss him. Tell him I love him," Emily's eyes started to water again. Mike hugged her a little closer. She was almost part of him now. She nestled into his chest, taking in everything about him. "Mike…"

"Yeah, Em."

"Every night, I'll talk to you. Without fail, I promise. I'll tell you all about what's going on, but you'll be in Heaven, so you'll already know… you'll know more than me, anyways. Serena told me that's how Heaven works. So, I'll share with you, and every night, listen for it, because I'll remind you I still love you."

"I will. I'll listen, and I'll say it back. Every night, even if you forget. I won't."

"I love you."

"I love you too."


	5. The Selfless Act Part I

All night. They talked all night. They lay in bed until Serena, James, and Terran turned in for the night. When they were all asleep, Mike and Emily snuck downstairs and continued to talk on the couch, nestled in each other's arms. When the sun rose, both knew what they were meant to do. Emily's eyes started to water again. Mike gave her a kiss.

"It'll be okay."

"I should have kept the plan to myself…"

"Em…"

"I want to be selfish," Emily shook her head, "I want Mia to suffer like I did. I want you back. More than anything, you can't…"

"You're doing a nice thing…"

"Why do I always have to do nice things?" Emily asked. "I gave up everything to come here in Serena's place. Why do I need to give up everything for Mia too? I won't be okay, Mike. I need you."

"I'm not leaving you," he whispered in her ear and gave her a strong, loving squeeze, "I promise, Em, I'll be everywhere you want me to be. You will never lose me."

"Stop being okay with this. I'm killing you…"

"No. No," Mike shook his head, "Never regret this decision. My odds are slim. Kevin will live on in agony if we don't try this. He's as good as dead, I am dead. If we don't do this, you might lose us both. You'll suffer, and Mia will suffer. It's hard because it's the right choice. You're making the right choice, Emily. I'm so proud of you."

"Emily? Can we talk?" Kevin asked as he snuck down the stairs and saw she was on the couch. He had checked her room already and noticed her bed was empty. He hadn't seen her since he had said his stupid words to her yesterday, and Emily had isolated herself from everyone since. Now that she was out of her room, he wanted to apologize.

"I'll go talk to the bear Zord," Mike said and kissed her cheek, "I'll be back, I promise."

Emily nodded and let him go just as Kevin took his spot beside her. Kevin cleared his throat and rubbed his chest.

"About yesterday…"

"It's okay," she whispered. "You were right. If Mia knew the truth it would kill her. The only thing worse than finding out your fiancé is dead is knowing he's going to die."

Kevin nodded his head and pulled off his shirt. He started to unravel the bandage around his chest and before long Emily could see his wound, the big hole in his chest, had gotten worse.

"I don't think I'm getting better," he sighed. "The seal is Octoroo's. It is from the Netherworld. It might keep me alive but it might come at a cost if I keep it on for too long. Who knows, I might turn into a Nighlok."

"It's probably poisoned with Sanzu Water," Emily nodded, "I'll bet it's keeping you alive just to kill you."

"You said it perfectly, Em. Knowing the person you love is dying is worse than knowing they're dead. It prolongs everything. It makes you feel helpless. I'm going to take off the seal in a few days…"

"Kevin…"

"I don't want to tell Mia. I don't want her to hurt any more than she has to. But I want to give her these last days for… you know…"

"Don't take it off. Everything's going to be okay," Emily wrapped her arms around Kevin's neck and hugged him tight.

"I was kind of hoping you would make a promise like that," Kevin sighed, "I would have asked this from Mike but… he's not here. When I'm gone… can you look after Mia?"

"Me?" Emily was stunned. According to the Samurai, her mental health was horrendous. They figured she was getting better, but it was still far below sane and what was required for a person to live independently, never mind what was required for a person to take care of another person, who would likely go insane as well.

"I'm sure everyone will chip in. But you and she are in the same boat. You'll take care of each other."

"You're not going to lose her. She won't lose you," Emily handed Kevin his shirt back, "Come with me."

He slipped on the shirt, covering up the wound and she took his hand and led him to the kitchen, where Mike had brought the bear Zord to talk about the deal they were making. To Kevin, it was just the kitchen. There was nothing interesting. He couldn't even see the bear Zord.

"I'm not crazy," Emily said to Kevin and then turned to Mike and the bear Zord, "Did you ask him yet?"

Mike nodded his head. The bear Zord looked at Emily, "Are you sure this is something you want to do. You understand we only have one life to give…"

"Will you do it?" Emily asked.

The bear Zord sighed, "Mike has not earned the life. It will be tricky. It might not even be possible, but…"

"You have one life," Emily growled. Kevin took a few steps back. The bear Zord looked up at her sadly.

"It doesn't always work that way…"

"Do you want us to be down two Rangers? You have one life, we're losing two. We'll lose more if we're not strong enough to beat Xandred. You promised Mike that if he earned it, he could have the life…"

"He hasn't earned it."

"He's not asking for it for himself!" Emily slammed her fists down on the table, "Give it to Kevin!"

"Then Mike will die. As soon as the exchange is done, he will be gone forever."

"I know," Emily nodded and felt Mike take her hand.

"You will lose him," the bear Zord told her. "There will be no bringing him back."

"I know! I KNOW!" Emily screamed. The bear Zord was doing this on purpose, repeating himself over and over just to make the process hurt even more. She couldn't believe she was pushing Mike away just for Kevin and Mia. She loved them dearly, but no one compared to Mike.

"If I may ask, why are you doing this?"

"Because it hurts. It hurts too much. I wouldn't wish this kind of pain on anyone else, even Xandred, never mind two of my best friends. I've come to terms with the fact that I'll never see Mike again. I'll be okay."

The bear Zord gave her a little nod, "Then it will be done. This selfless act will not be forgotten. It will take some time, but the exchange will be complete by sundown. You have one final day."

Emily and Mike nodded sadly and leaned into each other. This was it. It was done.

"Kevin," the bear Zord turned to the blue Ranger. Kevin jumped as the little creature appeared on the table, right before his eyes. He blinked. Emily's talking suddenly made sense, but he was also more confused than before, "Your friends have made a huge sacrifice. One I hope you understand will never be repaid."

"I… have no idea what you're talking about," Kevin shook his head. The bear Zord gestured over to Emily. Kevin turned and his eyes widened. He blinked. He rubbed his eyes. He shook his head. He blinked again. He pinched himself. Mike was standing there, and he wasn't leaving, "I'm dreaming. I'm already dead. Holy shit, I'm dead…"

"If you're dead than this deal is a fucking rip off," Mike muttered, unaware Kevin could see and hear him.

"Deal? What deal?"

Emily looked back and forth between the boys, and then down to the bear Zord. The little creature nodded his head. Emily smiled and turned to Kevin, "I'm not crazy!"

"We both are…"

"I've been seeing Mike!" Emily said, "You guys thought I was losing it and talking to hallucinations, it was Mike! You see him too, now."

"Yeah… but I don't believe it."

"Kevin," the bear Zord called and Kevin looked to the little green bear in disbelief. He had to be dreaming, "Mike has been given a chance to earn a second life. He had a week to prove he was deserving. If he had accomplished this task, he would have returned to you."

"No way…" Kevin reached out and touched Mike. He touched Mike. Mike was really there. "I'm dreaming."

"You're not! You're not dreaming," Emily shook her head, "Why would you dream this?"

"Because it's too good to be true."

"It's about to change," the bear Zord informed him. "Instead of taking the full week and trying to earn his spot back in the land of the living, Mike has generously offered to give you the second life instead."

"Emily generously offered," Mike gave Emily a little squeeze, "I've got nothing to lose. As long as she's happy, I'm happy."

"It's Mike who deserves the credit," Emily insisted. She looked up to Mike as she spoke to Kevin, "When I saw your… hole, I knew someone was going to die. I lost Mike, fair and square…"

"Hardly," Kevin shook his head, "Emily…"

"I lost Mike. He's actually dead. You're still here."

"Only because Octoroo…"

"You're still here," Emily said forcefully, "Mike's dead to everyone. Even to me. His odds are slim. You're alive. Especially to Mia. You deserve the spare life."

"No I don't…"

"Stop fighting with me!" Emily shouted, "You're getting it. You're getting it because we're not sure Mike will earn it!" she pointed to the bear Zord, "Whatever game these Samurai spirits are playing, the odds are against us. We're not losing Mike, and then you. If someone has to live, you have the better chance. Take it, shut up, and live happily ever after with Mia. It's the least you can do!"

Kevin backed away, "Okay, okay… I guess I don't have a choice in the matter."

"You don't," the bear Zord said and then turned to Mike and Emily, "You have until sundown. I suggest you take advantage of the few hours you have left. They will be your last."

To Mike and Emily, those words were heavy. To Kevin, they were unbearable. The weight of their sacrifice suddenly fell upon him as he realized exactly what they had done.

And this wasn't a dream.

"No," he shook his head, "It's my fault. I wasn't strong enough to…"

"Dude, it was up to me to defeat your Nighlok, remember?" Mike said with a shrug, "It's cool, dude. I'll be fine. Just take care of Emily for me, okay?"

"Later?" Emily asked and looked to Mike, "I want to go somewhere with you?"

"Where?"

"You'll see. You'll see when we get there," Emily smiled and then turned to Kevin, "Cover for me with the others? I don't want Serena worrying again."

"Of course," Kevin nodded like he had a choice when he really didn't. After today, there was no saying no to her or Mike.

"Thanks. I'll be home tonight, I promise."

Mike let go of Emily and approached Kevin, "I guess this is goodbye."

Mike held out a hand. Kevin pulled him in for a bear hug, "I'll find another way…"

"Dude, just have fun. I'll be okay. I'll be with Scruffy."

"I owe you…"

"Take care of Emily for me," Mike said and then lowered his voice so Emily couldn't hear him, "She says she'll be fine, and I trust her, but…"

"Nothing's going to happen to her," Kevin promised, "Nothing will ever happen to her again. As long as I live and breathe, she won't even feel the pain of a bruise again."

"I'm holding you to that," Mike smiled. "I love you, dude. I don't regret this decision. Please don't be angry with me."

"I hate you… I'll miss you. I love you too, Mike. Go play video games in the sky. Have fun."

"I'll do my best," Mike chuckled and gave Kevin one final hug before he walked over to Emily. "Tell the others goodbye."

"I will," he nodded.

"Tell the others Emily's not crazy."

"I will."

"C'mon, Em. I love surprises. Today's going to be awesome."

Emily took his hand and pulled him out the door.

The bear Zord disappeared. Kevin sighed loudly and walked to the couch. He dropped his head in his hands. He couldn't believe what had just happened.

"I thought I would find you down here," he looked up and saw Mia walking over to him. She had just woken up, "Is someone else up? I heard you talking…"

"Em went out for the day," Kevin said, "I was just telling her to keep her Samuraizer with her, and to call me every couple of hours."

"You let her go on her own?"

"She needs the space," Kevin answered. "She'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," Kevin pulled Mia into his arms and hugged her tight. He had her forever.


	6. The Selfless Act Part II

_Author's Note: Normally when I leave notes it's to address the rude and ungrateful. This time it's different :)_

_A HUGE thank you to everyone who reviews. I've been getting a lot of very good feedback lately and every time I open my inbox I get at least one (AT LEAST) one review that makes me smile. I write because it's something I enjoy doing (my very favourite thing to do) and nothing is going to make me stop. To be able to share my passion with people who, as I'm seeing, enjoy my work as much as I do is so amazing, I can't even put it into words (and that's pretty big, considering I'm an author and it's my job to put emotions and thoughts into words)._

_Occasionally I get… bad reviews (and I'm not talking about reviews where people leave constructive criticism. I'm talking about the reviewer who has nothing better to do than trash other people's work and try to make them feel like they are worthless. *hint, hint* doesn't work on me, but nice try ;p), but for every "bad" review I get, I seem to get like a hundred more good, great, awesome ones. So thank you all very, very, very much. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. :D_

* * *

Emily was smiling from ear to ear as she walked with Mike. She checked constantly over his shoulder to make sure his eyes were closed.

"No peeking!"

"I'm not," he promised her with a laugh. Emily pulled on his arms for a few more paces before stopping. She let go of his hand. Mike stood still. He had no idea where he was, despite his attempts to peek.

"Okay, open them."

He opened his eyes and looked around. He wasn't sure what he was looking at or waiting for. He was back in Panorama City, just off the main road that cut through the town. There was nothing very special about this road, or so he thought.

"Do you remember this place?" Emily asked and he shook his head truthfully. Emily pointed down the street, "There was a Nighlok right down there. You, Jayden, Kevin, and Mia were fighting it."

"Where were you?"

"On my way," Emily pointed down to the sidewalk, "This is exactly where you were standing when we first met."

"You remember exactly?"

"Of course I do," Emily smiled, "I remember everything about that day, every detail. It was one of the most terrifying, amazing, difficult, but best days I've ever had. And I remember the first thing you said not to me, but about me."

"Really?"

"I saw the looks on your faces. I knew you were expecting someone older. Someone more like Serena. You were all disappointed when you saw your final Ranger was some sixteen year old girl."

"I wasn't _disappointed_," Mike chuckled and took her hand again, "You… weren't what I was expecting."

"Mia and Kevin looked disappointed. We all know what Jayden thought about me taking Serena's place."

"He was an asshole to you when we first met," Mike nodded.

"Kevin didn't believe I could be a Ranger. Mia looked like she agreed. Kevin was about to tell me I was wrong, and probably that I was better off running and hiding. You cut him off. You gave me a chance."

"I did?"

"'_Let's just see if she's up to the challenge,'_ at that point, that had been the best thing anyone has ever said to me. It was the first time someone outside of my parents and Serena, ever decided to give me a chance."

"You really do remember that day."

Emily nodded her head and smiled, "Then I kind of had a hard time with the Nighlok. You saved me."

"I remember that."

"You saved me, and you made me feel okay about it. You didn't look down at me for needing help right off the bat. You just shrugged it off."

"You were the first to believe in me too, Em. Everyone thought I was just a lazy bum who was doing this for the adventure, but who was too lazy to actually go on the adventure."

"You are pretty lazy," Emily giggled, "But you had a good heart. Kevin especially couldn't see it right away, but if he's focused, I doubt he even sees his own nose. He came around."

"You were the first. You were my first," Mike pulled her into his arms and kissed her, "And you'll be my one and only. I wish I had more time, Em, but this has to be the best way to go."

"You're my one and only too," Emily wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head against his chest. Mike gave her a little squeeze.

"It's okay to move on. I just want you happy."

"I will be," Emily smiled, "I promised you I would be happy. But I don't think I can be happy with someone else."

"If you find out you're wrong, don't feel bad about it," Mike kissed her forehead, "As long as he treats you the way you deserve to be treated, I approve."

Emily smiled. She doubted she would ever move on. She had been spoiled with Mike, she knew it. No guy could ever live up to her standards anymore.

-Samurai-

Around the breakfast table, Kevin was quiet. The others were having a blast with their conversation. It had strayed from talk of farm work to Ji's rivalry with the rooster. Ji would always feed the chickens, and right from the start, the rooster didn't like him. Ji understood why Emily was terrified of the colourful bird. Roosters were mean.

But Kevin wouldn't have any of it. He poked his food. He couldn't take his mind off Mike and Emily, and the sacrifice they had made for him and Mia.

"Kev, are you okay?" Mia gently touched his arm, causing him to look up. Everyone around the table was looking at him.

Kevin put his fork down. There was still a day before sundown, but he didn't think he could hide this from the rest of the team. He looked to them and took a deep breath, "She's not crazy."

"Who?"

"Emily. She sees Mike."

"That's not funny," Serena's look was dead serious, and the others all nodded in agreement with her. "Kevin, you have no idea what she's going through. Setting an extra spot at the table is… okay, but don't encourage her like this."

"I'm not! I saw him too. In fact, he's alive!"

"Kevin…"

Kevin moved away from the table and took off his shirt. He hadn't replaced the bandages from his talk with Emily that morning so his wound was exposed.

James was sick right there at the table.

Kevin looked down and saw it was even worse. His skin was gone and charred at the very ends. His muscles were exposed, his heart was completely visible behind his ribs, and his lungs could be seen now too. Everything under his shirt was completely exposed except for what was hidden behind the symbol.

He put his shirt back on and got up from the table. He walked to the living room. Those that could stomach being around him followed. James, Terran, and Ji stayed behind. James was still feeling nauseous, Terran was crying, and Ji needed to take care of them.

"Kevin…"

"I'm dying, Mia. I should be dead," Kevin told her, trying to keep his cool, "I thought I would get better… I thought I could keep the seal on until my body was ready to heal but I guess I was wrong."

"You said you were getting better…"

"Poisoned," Jayden said, "The seal is from the Netherworld. There's really was no reason to believe it would help humans."

"I am alive because of it," Kevin nodded his head, "but it's obvious this is no life worth living. If I'm going to turn into the inside-out man, or something worse, I don't want to live."

"Don't do this," Antonio said and wrapped one arm around Mia. She seemed too shocked to speak at this point and refused to get any closer to Kevin.

"I was going to wait a few days and you know… embrace what time I had left, and then I would take it off. That's not going to happen anymore, thanks to Mike."

"Kevin, your brain is damaged," Serena shook her head, "Mike is dead…"

"He's alive! He's alive for now! I don't know how it happened, but he was giving a chance at a second life. He gave that up. He gave that up so I could live."

"Kevin…"

"Look, I get why you guys think Emily would see dead people, but this is me talking, guys. Does it make sense that I would be so miserable over Mike's death that I would imagine him in this kitchen?"

"He is insanely logical," Jayden looked to the other Samurai, "Kevin seeing ghosts, and believing they have special powers… that doesn't sound like you."

"Further proof your brain is just as bad as your chest…"

"Emily's gone. She's out somewhere spending the day with Mike. By sundown, I'll be healed. I'll be good as new, and Mike will be dead. He had a week but he gave that up," Kevin looked right at Mia, "They gave that up for us."

Mia didn't say anything. She shook her head and ran off upstairs. Her brother was gone, her sister was delusional, and now her fiancé was going to suffer both their fates. He was losing his mind and he was dying.

"You're such a jackass," Serena breathed to Kevin before she ran after Mia.

Kevin looked to Jayden and Antonio. They were all he had now, "C'mon, you two. You know me…"

"Let's pretend this is real. Why would Mike and Emily do that?" Jayden asked.

Kevin shrugged his shoulders, "Because they're big idiots. Emily was talking to the bear Zord. I had no idea what she was saying at the time, because I was like you guys and didn't believe, but she said the pain was unbearable. She didn't want Mia to suffer. If someone was going to die anyway… Mike was the better choice. I don't know why…"

"That does sound like Emily," Antonio looked to Jayden, "And Mike would do anything she asked."

"I guess we won't know for sure until later," Jayden shrugged.

"Sundown. It'll happen at sundown."

-Samurai-

Emily and Mike had no idea where they were in the city, but they were having fun. It was Mike's turn to lead Emily somewhere, and he promised to take her somewhere she had never been, but would always be welcomed.

"Are your eyes closed?"

"I'm not a peeper," Emily giggled. Mike smiled and waved his hand in front of her face. She didn't react to it. Satisfied her eyes were closed, he turned his back to her and kneeled slightly.

"Jump on my back. I'm right in front of you."

"Promise?"

"Of course," Mike nodded and he looked out at the sky. The sun was getting low. Too low. He had maybe an hour left. He was going to make it count.

Suddenly, he felt Emily's weight on his back, and caught her, holding her up as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Then he let her go.

"Hold me. We're going up."

"Up?"

"Eyes closed," he reminded her.

Emily buried her face in his shoulder and did her best to hold on without choking him. She couldn't see anything, but she could feel herself moving up, getting higher and higher off the ground.

"Mike, I hate heights!"

"You'll be fine. You're with me."

Emily smiled. She was.

There was a lot of shifting around. Emily almost slipped off once, but Mike grabbed her in time and centered her on his back. Then he carefully lowered her down on her butt. She felt the ground. It was a floor. It was a wooden floor.

"Where are we?"

"Open your eyes."

Emily did as she was told and her jaw dropped, "A tree house?"

"My tree house. The tree house dad built for me when I was really little. Only a couple years older than Terran. When I started climbing trees, mom got worried I would fall out. So dad and I came out here and he built me this fort."

"Is it safe?" Emily crawled over to the side and had a look out the window. She was high enough above the ground. If she fell, she would get hurt.

"Perfectly safe," Mike assured her. He sat down beside her and pulled her into his arms, "If you can get over your fear of heights, you're more than welcome to come up here. It's close enough to the Shiba House, and still in Panorama City. And odds are, you'll be alone when you come here."

"Odds are?"

"Two other people, aside from my dad, know about this place," Mike said, "Matthew and Reese, my best friends."

"I remember. You used to talk about them a lot."

"Yeah, they probably hate me."

"I'll tell them all about you," Emily promised, "They'll know why you had to leave. They won't hate you."

"Thanks. They'll be so jealous when they find out I was engaged to you."

"You think?"

"I know," Mike smiled. He lifted her on his lap and hugged her close, "You promise me you'll be okay?"

"Of course."

"Take care of yourself. Don't do anything stupid. And listen to the others. They want what's best for you too."

"I will, I promise."

"And make sure Kevin and Mia stay happy together. I don't want this to be for nothing."

"They'll be together forever," Emily smiled.

Mike started to feel a pain in his chest. He looked out the window and saw the sun was touching the horizon. Minutes. He had minutes left. Emily noticed this too and pulled away from Mike so she could take him in her arms. She sat on her knees and hugged him close.

"We'll be together forever," she whispered. Tears stung her eyes but she didn't want to cry. She didn't want Mike's last memory of her to be full of tears. She gave him a smile and leaned down to kiss him, "I love you."

"I love you too," he whispered and looked out the window again. The sun was setting, faster than he had ever seen it go. Before he knew it, there was only a little light left. Emily gave him one more squeeze and he knew she didn't want to let him go.

Then, suddenly, the choice was taken from her. He closed his eyes and his body faded away. Emily tried to hold him but her hands passed right through him until he was gone. Gone forever. She released the sob she had been holding in and fell forward, doubled over in pain.

"I'll take you home," she heard a voice say. She looked up and saw it was the bear Zord. She blinked and just like that she was back in her bedroom, on her bed.

She grabbed her pillow, buried her face in it and cried.

-Samurai-

Kevin sat outside by himself, watching the sun set. His heart ached. He knew exactly what was happening. As the light faded slowly, he could feel something happening in his chest. It was a pull. It hurt, but it was a good kind of pain. When the sun was gone he removed his shirt. His chest was back to normal. New skin was all that could be seen. There wasn't a single scar anywhere on his body. He was perfectly healed.

"Mia!" he jumped up. She didn't believe him. She refused to listen to him or talk to him all day. Now he had proof. He ripped the seal off his chest, tore it up and ran inside the house. Mia was sitting on the couch with Serena and James. Ji, Antonio, and Jayden were playing a little game with Terran and his toy blocks.

"No way…" Serena breathed as she spotted Kevin's chest. Mia's eyes were wide in disbelief, but she got up from the couch and approached Kevin. Gently, she placed her hand on his chest.

"In a day. It's all gone in a day."

"I was telling the truth," Kevin held her softly, "Mike and Emily gave up everything for us."

"There's no way," Mia shook her head. The proof was right in front of her. Kevin was standing right in front of her, but she had seen the wound. It was big, it was gaping. With it, Kevin wouldn't have survived a single breathe without the seal. She couldn't even understand how he could survive with the seal. Surely the pain would have been enough to kill him. Yet here he was, standing strong before her, holding her tightly in his arms.

"So all that bullshit you said about Mike getting a second chance and Emily not…" Serena trailed off and shook her head, "Oh God…"

It dawned on Mia as well, "She didn't…"

"Someone was going to die anyways," Kevin whispered, "Either Mike or I. Maybe both. This was the best option. They were convinced it was the only one."

-Samurai-

Mike didn't know what to expect. He wasn't the most religious of people, but he liked to think there was an afterlife waiting for him. Maybe filled with video games, junk food, and anything his heart desired. The thought of nothing happening wasn't all that appealing to him.

He opened his eyes, blinded by a bright, bright light. It took him several moments, but he could eventually focus and he realized that bright light was his new world. There was an afterlife.

He pushed himself to his feet and had a look around. There was nothing waiting for him. No angels, no video games, no ancestors, not even a welcome buffet.

"Aw, man. Totally ripped off," he groaned and kicked the air, "What the hell am I supposed to do for all eternity now?"

"MASTER!" he heard a loud, excited cry and was suddenly knocked right onto his back as something laid on top of him. Then something wet ran up and down his face, covering nearly every inch.

"What the…" Mike pushed the weight off his body, wiped his face, and got to his feet. He looked down. His eyes were wide. He dropped to his knees and opened his arms wide. "Scruffers?"

"One and only!" Scruffy jumped back into his arms, "Master, I've missed you!"

Mike got a face full of a kisses, but he didn't mind. He gave his dog a warm hug and then pulled away from him.

"What's going on? What is this place?"

"You're still in limbo. Your fate is being decided."

"My fate?" Mike asked and he gave the dog a strange look, "I know I wasn't exactly an angel, but I don't think I was bad enough for Hell."

"Not that fate," Scruffy shook his head, "Your conditions are being revised. What you and Mistress did shocked everyone."

"Who?"

"You'll only know after death," Scruffy took a seat and gestured for Mike to sit with him. The green Ranger sat on his bum and stroked the dog's back.

"Are you saying I'll be given a second chance?"

"That was your second chance. You don't get second chances at a second chance."

"A third chance?"

"Life doesn't work that way."

"Life is seriously confusing me."

"Your sacrifice was great. Like me, you gave up your life to give someone else the chance to live. Not many people choose to do that."

"Oh… dude, Serena hates herself for that…"

"She shouldn't," Scruffy smiled, "I knew exactly what I was doing. But that's over and done with. I have no regrets."

"Neither do I," Mike assured the dog, "I made the right choice. I know I did."

"Depends. You were right, Kevin didn't have much time left, but you could have found a way to live."

"But he would be dead. Emily was already coming to terms with me leaving. Mia had no idea. It wasn't the easiest decision but…"

"It was selfless," Scruffy nestled into Mike's arms, "On your part, and on Mistress' part. You'll be trapped in the afterlife, unable to do anything but watch as life continues on. You'll have everything you want, except life."

Hearing this, Mike shook his head, "Everything I want?"

"Video games, junk food. There's an all you can eat pizza buffet, with all the toppings you can imagine. It's a real utopia."

"Not exactly a sacrifice on my part, then," Mike muttered, "I get nearly everything I've ever wanted."

"And Mistress will join you when it's her time."

"What about Emily? How is she?"

"Mistress will continue to live on. She will find happiness…"

"But?"

"It was a sacrifice."

"So I get everything and she suffers?" Mike shook his head, "This is not the deal we made…"

"The deal was that your friends got to stay together," Scruffy looked right at Mike, "That is why the sacrifice is so big. That is why they are all shocked. They have never seen anything like this before."

"So what does that mean?"

"_**Scruffy!"**_ a loud, booming voice echoed in the bright, white room. Mike jumped. Scruffy jumped as well, onto his paws. He licked Mike's cheek one more time and darted off to a door that appeared.

"We'll see! I'll be back soon with the answer, I promise, Master."


	7. Overcoming The Odds

The pain was agonizing, but Emily was glad the bear Zord had brought her home. She didn't think being alone was a good idea, and while she had loved her day back in the city with Mike, she hadn't thought about the loneliness she would feel after his death.

Her friends had gathered around her, and were at her beck-and-call. Whatever she wanted, whatever she needed, she got. She wasn't difficult or demanding. All she wanted was to go back a few day, or even a few weeks. She wanted to be back in the Shiba House, with her whole family safe and sound. She wanted to be back in her bed, snuggled up tightly in Mike's arms.

She would never get that again, and she let the world know how much it hurt. She cried and cried. If someone had put buckets under her eyes, she would have filled them up. Eventually, she cried herself to sleep, too exhausted to do anything but pass out. Her sister laid her down in her bed and everyone else followed her lead. They each went to their own rooms to sleep. Serena and James, fortunately, were already sharing a room with Emily.

In the middle of the night, Emily woke up and found herself alone. Even with Serena, James, and Terran in the room with her, she felt very, very lonely. The bed was cold, the room was dark, the world was just very uninviting in general.

Serena had left one of her old teddy bears on the pillow beside her for that reason. She knew Emily would feel alone and a teddy bear, though it wasn't a person, was great company. Emily grabbed the bear, hugged it to her chest and climbed out of bed. She walked to the other end of the room and put her hand on Serena's shoulder. Gently, she shook her sister awake.

"I want to sleep with you."

Serena scooted over in the bed and lifted the covers. Emily shook her head.

"You and Mia."

"Mia's in the other room," Serena whispered, "She's with Kevin."

The glow of the nightlight reflected off Emily's tears. Serena sighed and pulled herself out of bed. She nudged James awake.

"Get up; we're doing a room swap."

"Five more minutes."

"James, now."

James grumbled and got out of bed. He grabbed his pillow and followed Serena out of the room. They walked to the room Mia and Kevin shared, Serena's old room, and woke the couple up.

"Room swap," Serena announced, "Mia, come with me. James and Kevin… figure something out."

James was too tired to care where he slept. He dropped his pillow on Mia's side on the bed and climbed right in beside Kevin. The blue Ranger moved over slightly to make room.

"Just no cuddling."

James was already snoring.

Mia and Serena returned to Emily and Serena gestured for Emily to take her spot on the bed. The youngest Samurai crawled in and Mia and Serena climbed in beside her. Just as they were about to get comfortable, Emily crawled to the foot of the bed.

"Where are you going?"

"The bed is too big," Emily whispered.

Mia looked to Serena and when Emily was gone she asked, "What does that mean?"

"I have no clue."

They waited for Emily to come back. Eventually she did, and she was carrying an armful of pillows with her. Storm was also by her side and when she was close enough to the bed, she jumped up. Serena and Mia assumed Emily wanted her dog to sleep with her.

"What are the pillows for, Emy?" Serena asked.

Emily dropped them on the bed and then climbed in (literally). She got back into a comfortable position and placed the pillows in the empty spaces. Serena and Mia were cramped, but they weren't going to hurt themselves in their sleep, that was a certainty.

Emily wrapped her arms around her bear and her dog and eventually drifted off to sleep. Mia and Serena couldn't get comfortable.

"A part of me wants to jump to that bed," Mia whispered and pointed to Emily's empty bed. She wouldn't leave Emily alone at this time, but the temptation was there.

"We can move some of the pill…"

Mia ripped the pillows off the bed and nestled in.

"Lows…" Serena finished and chuckled, "Goodnight."

Serena rolled over and closed her eyes to sleep. It felt like only a few minutes, but a few hours later the sun was starting to come up. Emily was already awake and didn't want to be alone again. She was shaking Serena. Storm was nudging Mia's face.

"It's morning," Emily whispered, "Wake up."

"Emily, it's early."

"We have work to do…"

"Don't worry about that. James promised he would get it done. We'll just spend the day taking it easy. We'll go into town, show Mia a few… stuff."

"Stuff?" Mia groaned, "What kind of stuff?"

"It's a small town. We don't have much."

Emily started to crawl out of bed, "I don't want to go back to sleep. I want to wake up. I want to do something."

"There's nothing to do…"

"I don't want to sit here."

Serena took a deep breath and turned to Mia, "How good are you riding horseback without the sword?"

"Decent."

Serena threw off the blankets, "There's a trail that's pretty impressive. It leads to a nice waterfall. Get your bathing suit and a bag and meet us in the kitchen. We'll have a girl's day."

-Samurai-

James was hauling hay to feed the horses. He knew what he had to do, and by now he had done it so many times, it was basically automatic, which was a good thing. His mind was elsewhere.

While the girls were out, trying to keep Emily's mind off her loss, the boys were busy taking care of the farm. It was a lot of work every day, but it kept them busy. Of all the places they could have gone while the Shiba House was under repairs, this was probably the best. If they had stayed in a hotel, or if they stayed at James' apartment, they would have done nothing but sit around.

Taking a break for a moment, James cast a look at Kevin, who was watering all the crops. With his symbol power, the job was easy. Kevin was making it complicated. Symbol after symbol, he tried and failed. His mind wasn't on his work, it was elsewhere. James turned to Jayden, knowing the red and blue Rangers were close, but then decided that wasn't a good idea. Although they were friends, Kevin still saw Jayden as his leader, and would likely straighten up and suppress his emotions.

Deciding he needed a bit more of a break, James picked up his water bottled and walked over to Kevin.

"I know I'm not the guy to talk about Symbols, but if you don't focus, it doesn't work."

Kevin spun his symbol but it didn't work. He lowered his arm and dropped to the ground. James sat with him, "I know this is hard…"

"You have no idea how hard this is," Kevin shook his head, "My best friend just gave up his life for me. My little sister sacrificed the person she loved most for my fiancée. I have no idea where Mike's at right now, but because of that little stunt, they're both suffering."

"I'm sure Mike's in a better place…"

"You don't get it. This should not have happened," Kevin growled and slammed his fist into the earth, "This life belongs to Mike. He should be alive right now. I got caught. I basically let Mike die. He doesn't deserve this."

"Life's not fair. Mike gave you a chance, and you're spitting on his sacrifice if you don't live this life. He didn't give it up for you to mope around about how you should be the one who's dead."

"He was my best friend," Kevin wiped away some tears as he started to cry. "It's my best friend and my little sister… and they gave up everything for me and Mia. I owe them both a debt I'll never repay."

-Samurai-

In his white room in limbo, Mike waited and waited for Scruffy to return with what he hoped would be good news. It seemed that though he had given up his life for Kevin and he had embraced death, this game he was stuck in wasn't over. His sacrifice, and Emily's sacrifice, had been so grand, that whoever was in charge of distributing lives (Mike wouldn't know until he was dead for sure) was considering changing Mike's fate. He hoped that meant he would be returned to Earth, but he had no idea what to expect.

Finally, after a long wait, the door opened again and Scruffy walked back into the room. The dog didn't look happy, nor did he look sad. Mike had no idea what was on his mind. He knelt before the dog and looked him in the eyes.

"So?"

"The sacrifice was unexpected," Scruffy said. "As a Samurai, you were born to put the lives of others above your own. You were taught from a young age to do all you could to ensure the safety and well-being of all of those around you. Many, many sacrifices have been made throughout the years, and while all have been respectful, none were as brave, and as selfless as what we have just witnessed."

"What does that mean?"

"You had a chance. You had four days left to earn your life when you decided to pass it onto Kevin. Though the odds were against you, there was still a chance. You gave that up. Mistress gave you up."

"Don't say it like that," Mike shook his head and frowned, "That decision was the hardest one she ever had to make. She didn't give up on me. She didn't give me up. She accepted that this stupid game, or whatever it is, was rigged against me. There was no sense letting Mia suffer. Emily knew how bad it hurt and couldn't let Mia go through that. She _did not_ give me up!"

"Master, whatever you want to call it, it has given you a second chance," Scruffy finally cracked a smile. "Your sacrifice was noble, but what really convinced them you are worthy of a place back on earth was Mistress' willingness to put the happiness of others before her own. As a reward, we will ensure her happiness, as well as the happiness of all those she cares so deeply about."

It took Mike a moment to find his words. He couldn't believe it. He was going back.

"Serious?"

"In a few moments, you will notice your body beginning to fade. You will be returned to Earth, and eventually to your friends. A word of caution, though, Master. This life, like all lives, is a gift, and at any time can be taken from you. Use it wisely. Continue to live just as you did in the time you thought you were dying."

"I promise," Mike nodded his head and gave the dog a pat on the head. Then he felt himself getting excited. He grabbed the dog in his arms and started to wrestle playfully with him, "You have no idea how much I love you, Scruffers."

"I love you too, Master," Scruffy pinned Mike to the ground and licked his face, "Tell Mistress I loved her too. And tell her not to worry about me. My life was short, but sweet."

"I will," Mike nodded. He gently grabbed the dog's face and kissed his head.

"And tell her to take good care of my sister!"

"Storm?"

"And tell that little pup to stop digging up my toys! She's got her own."

"I promise," Mike chuckled and then he began to feel funny. He felt fuzzy, warm, and tingly. It felt good. It felt nice. Scruffy gave his face one last lick and then he was gone. Everything disappeared. Mike felt his body get very, very heavy just before sleep consumed him.

-Samurai-

The horses were drinking from the lake. Mia was admiring the waterfall. Serena was getting lunch ready and setting up the picnic blanket.

Emily was sitting up in a tree. Though she hated heights, the trees belonged to Mike. They reminded her of him, and they forever would be a part of him. She felt closest to him when she was in the trees and near the woods. Fortunately, the trail she and Serena had taken Mia on cut through a small forest. Though it was nothing like the woods around the Shiba House, it was still enough for Emily to feel at home.

She plucked a leaf from a branch and twirled it around in her hand. Mike loved to wrap her up in leaves. He would use them to catch her if she fell, to make her feel safe, or just if they were playing around and he wanted to catch her.

She tucked the leaf away in her pocket, hoping she could get it home to preserve it. She didn't have much she could hold onto anymore. At least the leaf was something – something that made her think of Mike. She thought maybe when she got back into the city, Antonio could take her to a store so she could buy a few video games. Maybe she would learn to play them. Mike would have loved it if she could compete with him, instead of just blow herself up or win by pressing the same button over and over. The girlfriend strategy, Mike called it.

The water pouring off the side of the cliff and into the lake made enough noise to drown almost everything out, but over that sound Emily heard a splash. Something else had hit the water and broken the surface. Something had fallen. She started to climb down from the tree. Nothing should have fallen into the lake. When her feet touched the ground, she ran over to Serena. Her sister wrapped her arms around her.

"Someone fell," Serena told her while holding her back. "Right from the top of the falls."

Mia, who had been closest to the water when the body fell in, dove in for the rescue. There weren't many reasons why a person would jump from a waterfall, especially when there was no one around to watch. Terrified it was a suicide attempt; Mia was desperate to make a rescue. She was no professional swimmer like her fiancé, but she had picked up a thing or two and was able to make it to the body before it got pulled too far under.

With her eyes open underwater, it was hard to get a clear look at who she was rescuing, but it was a body. It was a person. She didn't care who it was. She pulled the person up and lifted the head above the water. She blinked to sooth her eyes and focus again and as she swam back to the edge of the lake, she caught a glance at the face.

"No way…" her body froze for a moment. It wasn't possible. It was Mike. He was dead. He was in her arms. He was a pile of ashes in an urn. He was in the water. He had sacrificed himself for her and Kevin.

He was drowning. Her chest tightened as she looked to Serena and Emily, who were still too far away to recognize Mike's face. Mia couldn't do it to Emily. She couldn't bring Mike's body back to shore, only to have him drown or suffocate again. If he was going to live, he would live, but if it was already too late, Emily was better off not knowing. She had lost him twice already. A third time would likely kill her.

Knowing there was a little cave behind the waterfall (Serena had promised they would check it out after lunch), Mia changed courses and swam under the crashing waters. It was hard, especially when she was pulling Mike's useless body along with her, but she had to do something. Mike and Emily had done everything for her.

When they were behind the falls, Mia climbed up onto the ground of the cave and then lifted Mike's body up. She laid him on the hard, stone floor and scrambled through her brain to remember what Kevin had taught her of CPR. The last time she had tried it, Mike was already dead and it didn't matter if she had screwed it up. This time, it was all or nothing. She had to get it right. She had to try.

"I hate you, Mike," she muttered as she got started, lifting his chin slightly. She genuinely hated her little brother, as much as anyone could hate someone they loved. He was nothing but a pain in her ass. A nuisance. An annoyance. Life would be so much easier if, from time to time, he would just back off and leave everyone alone.

At the same time, life wasn't the same without him around, and not just because Emily was mourning. Mike was Mike. He was the green Ranger. The team needed him like chocolate needed peanut butter, and he was the chocolate. The team was good without him, but they were so much better with him. He brought fun into the house and forced everyone to have a laugh at each other, and at themselves. That wouldn't happen, not without him.

Frustrated after several tries and fails, Mia pounded her fist into his chest, "Why are you such an idiot? Why are you torturing all of us? Choose now, jackass! I'm done fighting for you!"

As if he was waiting for that outburst, Mike coughed. Water spilled out from his mouth. Some hit Mia's face. As he gasped for breath, Mia yanked him up from the ground and hugged him tight.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Wrong with me?" Mike coughed, "You hate me, I'm the idiot, and the jackass, but you're the one who's giving up on me? Thanks a lot, sis."

"Shut up," Mia shoved him away, "You're supposed to be dead. Why aren't you dead?"

"If you really wanted me dead, you would have let me drown," Mike looked out at the waterfall, "Where are we?"

"No," Mia shook her head, "Nahuh, you're not asking questions. Where we are is the least of our worries right now. What the hell is going on?"

"I was given my second life."

"Kevin said…"

"The act was selfless," Mike smiled, "Someone… some ones said it was the most selfless sacrifice they've seen, and they rewarded it with life."

Mia poked Mike in the chest, "So are you alive? Are you dead? Are you an angel?"

"I'm alive. I swear, Mia, I'm back and I'm here to stay… WHOA!" Mike was pulled into one of the tightest hugs he had ever been caught in. He tried to push against Mia, to give himself a little breathing room, but it was impossible. "I'm going to suffocate again… I doubt this is a roller coaster you want to ride twi…"

He was cut off and shoved into the waterfall and then into the lake. It seemed Mia still couldn't make up her mind. She was happy he was back one moment, and then pissed off that he was alive the next. The force of the falling water pushed him under, but Mike quickly found which way was up and broke the surface of the water, gasping for breath again. He heard another splash and assumed it was Mia jumping in after him again. He started to swim to the edge and when the water was swallow enough he stood up and walked the rest of the way back. He twisted the bottom of his shirt, draining the water. When he looked up to find somewhere to sit down, he saw them. Serena and Emily. His eyes fell on Emily. She seemed horrified. He couldn't blame her. She had been put through hell and had spent so long just waiting for this chapter of her life to come to a close, whether it meant Mike was dead or alive.

"We beat the odds," he smiled.

Emily pulled away from Serena and raced over to him. Dead or alive, she didn't care anymore. She didn't care if she was losing her mind and this was just a hallucination. She'd be happy locked away forever in a mental hospital if it meant she had Mike. She jumped into his arms, knocking him right off his feet. They both landed on the ground and she pulled him in for a passionate kiss.

He was warm. He was comfortable. He was back.


	8. Welcome Back

"There's no way…"

"I think I have a headache. I don't know anymore."

"I'm going to close my eyes. On the count of three I'll open them and you'll be gone. One… two… three!"

Antonio opened his eyes but Mike was still standing before him. He blinked. He blinked again. Mike wouldn't go away.

"Dude, are you trying to make me disappear?" Mike chuckled. Antonio shook his head and threw his arms around the green Ranger, unintentionally shoving Emily away from her fiancée, whom she hadn't let go since he had come back. Mike was swallowed in a gold Ranger bear hug, and even lifted off his feet, "Whoa, okay, what… is it with people… trying to kill the… recently undead? Let… go!"

"Sorry," Antonio lowered Mike back down on his feet and took a step back to have a look at Mike, "This is too weird."

"You ever die again, I'll make sure you never come back," Jayden said and Mike looked over and saw he was serious.

"What? If I die you'll kill me? Dude, you know all life comes to an end eventually, right?"

Jayden nodded his head and gave Mike his welcome back hug. It was short, but sweet, exactly what Mike expected from him. As he pulled away from Jayden, he was yanked into Ji's arms for a bit of a more enthusiastic hug.

"Okay, I'm definitely going to have some broken ribs…"

Ji released Mike and the green Ranger straightened himself out. That made almost everybody. He had gotten his welcome back hug from James out in the field before getting into the house, and Terran was down for a nap. The girls had greeted him at the lake, so the only person left was Kevin. Mike made eye contact and no sooner did their eyes meet did Kevin storm off.

"Excuse me," Mike breathed to the others as he raced off after his best friend. He caught up with Kevin under the big tree outside. He touched his shoulder. Kevin shrugged him off. "Dude…"

"You're such an idiot, Mike."

"You and Mia are both so nurturing," Mike muttered and rolled his eyes, "topped only by Serena. She had a few choice words for me when I came back. Words I dare not repeat, and you know me, I'll say just about anything."

"Yeah," Kevin nodded and shoved Mike forcefully, "for example, 'give my one and only spare life to the asshole who fails to kill his Nighlok, watches his team suffer, and actually dies fair and square…'"

"None of that is true," Mike shook his head, "_I_ was supposed to kill your Nighlok. That was _my_ bad. You were kidnapped. That was my bad. You fought your way back from the Netherworld, from Hell, just to protect us, and your death was not fair and square. You were murdered, just like me."

"It was still your second chance…"

"And I gave it to you."

"Asshole."

"I give you life, you call me an asshole. I wonder what you call your mother when you see her."

"Shut up," Kevin turned away and tried to leave. Mike grabbed his arm.

"Dude, do you have any idea how much it hurt Emily when she learned I was dead? Do you have any idea how much it killed her waiting for me to die for a second time?"

"You should have fought, you quitter…"

"If I fought, if I did manage to pull off a miracle, you would still be living with a big-ass, mother-fucking hole in your chest!" Mike shouted, "There would have been no second chance for you, you ungrateful shit!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm forgot you're holier than thou. Only you would…"

Mike pulled his Samuraizer out from his pocket, glad to see it was no longer an hourglass, "When I was struggling in that closet, I tried to trace a symbol. A symbol I taught myself just in case something were to happen to Emily. It was supposed to keep me alive. Alive long enough for someone to find me. I died before it was done, but the half-symbol half saved me! You never would have thought of that, would you, dipshit? And you never would have had enough time to learn it! If it weren't for me, you would be dead and Mia would be the grieving widow. Talk about a fate worse than death – losing the person you can't live without!"

Mike shoved Kevin and turned away from him, "I save your ass. Emily gives up everything so your fiancée doesn't have to hurt, even a little bit, and this is how I get thanked?"

"I am thanking you, you bastard," Kevin growled, but when Mike turned around there was a trace of a smile on his lips. "Now, thanks to you and your stupid, thoughtless sacrifice, I can't ever be a dick to you. I have to live the rest of my life saying _'yes, Mike', 'right away, Mike'_."

"Dude, seriously, that'll just freak me out. Let's just go back to normal. I may ask for a few favours along the way, but there's none of that debt you can't repay shit. You didn't ask to be saved. You should just be really, really thankful Emily's got a selfless heart and that's rubbing off on me."

"I think we're all really, really thankful for that," Mia said as she and Emily walked out of the house and over to their fiancés. She gave Mike another hug and then took Kevin's hand. She leaned into him, her smile traveling from one ear to the other. "Seriously, you two, what you did…"

"I'm just happy it all worked out better than I thought," Mike smiled and wrapped one arm around Emily and saw there were still tears in her eyes. He gently poked her side, tickling her, "Seriously, Em, you're going to be really, really dehydrated if you don't stop."

Emily giggled and pulled away from Mike, "Stop it, you know I'm ticklish."

"I know," he poked her side again, "I just think you need another pinch, so you know you're not dreaming. I am alive again, and I'm alive for good. Thanks to you."

"To me?" she asked and looked up at him. Mike nodded his head.

"My sacrifice was pretty wicked, and definitely impressed the judges," Mike chuckled and pointed to the sky, "but what you did for Mia really pushed them over the edge."

"Never do that again," Mia told Emily, trying to look as serious as possible, "I don't want you suffering alone."

"I knew I wasn't going to be alone," Emily smiled. "Mike reminded me I still had all you guys."

"Still, if you do this stunt again, I'll kill you so you and Mike can live happily ever after, got it?"

"Got it," Emily nodded. Mia wasn't convinced. She poked Emily's stomach.

"Got it?"

"Yes," Emily giggled, "I said yes!"

"I don't think you understand," Mia smirked and nudged Kevin, "Show her what I mean."

"No! Ah!" Emily screamed and giggled as Kevin grabbed her and lifted her over his shoulder. He looked to Mia and she pointed to the water trough for the animals.

"I think she deserves a soak."

"No, no, no, no, no!" Emily shook her head and laughed as Kevin carried her over and Mia and Mike watched. She squirmed and struggled on Kevin's shoulder, and it got worse as he started to lower her down.

She was inches from the water when Kevin pulled her back up and then set her safe and sound on the ground. Emily bolted away from him, away from Mia, and away from Mike with a smirk on her face.

"SERENA!"

"Oh shit!" Mike grabbed Mia and ran for Kevin, grabbing him too, "Hide!"

"Hide where?" Kevin asked as he had a look around, "This is their farm!"

"They probably know all the hiding places," Mia added.

"They… aha! Tree!" Mike turned back and ran for the big tree. He traced a symbol and three leaves came down and swallowed the Samurai before sucking them up into cover, where they blended in perfectly.

"How long do you think we have to stay up here?" Kevin asked.

"Until bedtime," Mike whispered. "Trust me, we'll be safe once everyone goes to bed."

"That's too bad…" Mia sighed loudly, "Serena was going to make you a welcome back pie."

"Why are you looking at me like that? You two tried to dunk her."

"You were laughing with me."

"Shh," Kevin whispered as he saw Serena and Emily approaching the tree, "They're coming."

"Here?" Serena asked Emily as she gestured to the spot below the tree. Emily nodded her head and had a look around.

"They were right here," she pointed to the water trough, "Kevin tried to dunk me there."

"Well, they're gone and dinner's almost ready. We'll start without them."

"It's Mike's welcome back dinner," Emily looked up at Serena, "We can't have a welcome back dinner for Mike if he's not there."

"Sure we can," Serena wrapped her arm around her sister's shoulders as they headed back to the house. "Just watch."

When the girls were gone Mike grumbled, "Dude, I'm missing out on my own welcome back dinner? With the famous, magic, unbelievably delicious pie? All because you two wanted to dunk my fiancée?"

"That's what you get for laughing along," Mia smirked.

Mike crossed his arms over his chest, "Life sucks…"

He sulked and pouted for a moment as he imagined eating the pie. It seemed that was the closest he would get to the real thing tonight. At least he wasn't still an undead spirit.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him, "Kev."

"Yeah."

"Next time you take a bath, please check for undead spirits before you get naked."

"What?"

"Just saying."


End file.
